Puzzle



April 23, 1940. N. H. SWANSON 2,198,444

PUZZLE Filed April 6e 1938 /yas H @WA4/sam Patented Apr. 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT ortica PUZZLE Nels H. Swanson, Chicago, Ill.

Application` April 6, 1938,v Serial No. 200,322y

1 Claim.

This invention relates to a puzzle, and more particularly to a puzzle which may readily `be adapted for use as an advertising medium or the like, or if desired as a premiumor souvenir. The puzzle combines the use of relatively movable members, one of which is provided with a series of circularly `arranged arrow spots on one side, while the opposite side is provided with a circular arrangement of numbers arranged to register with the spots on the front side of the member. The spotted disk is pivotally supported on the back of a main card or board provided with a series of Vcircularly arranged openings with which the arrow spots on the other member are adapted to be moved into register.

The object of the puzzle is theV provision of the two relatively movable members, one of which is adapted to be moved a selected number of divisions by one person without the knowledge of another person, it being required that the second person point out to the iirst person the particular arrow which has the number on the back indicating the number of divisions one of the members was moved with respect to the other.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simplified and interesting type of puzzle wherein two connected relatively movable members are adapted to be moved with respect to one another predetermined amounts by one person without the knowledge of ano-ther, who upon having the puzzle returned can readily tell the rst person the exact number of divisions which one member was moved with respect to the other.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a puzzle wherein an apertured card has a rotatable member mounted on the back thereof and provided with a plurality of identical spaced indicia which are numbered on the back side of the member, affording a cue to the person working the puzzle whereby he can readily tell another person operating the members with respect to one another just how many divisions the members were moved with respect to one another.

It is a, further object of this invention to pro-- vide a puzzle wherein an apertured member has a second member rotatably supported thereon, with said second member having a plurality of identical indicia thereon adapted to be moved into and out of register with said apertures, it being the object to have one person, without another person seeing, move the indicia carrying member a selected number of divisions with respect to the aperturedvmember, after which tne second person by means of diiierentiated indicia on the back of the rotatable member can tell the number of divisions the rotatable member has been rotated with respect to the apertured member by simply pointing to a selected one of the identical indicia on the back of which will be found the number indicating the number of divisions the rotatable number was moved.

It is an important object of this inventionV to provide a puzzle wherein an apertured member has rotatably supported thereon a rotatable member bearing a series of identical indicia on one side thereof observable through the openings in the rst member, said rotatable member also carrying a series of different indicia on the back thereof registering with the identical indicia on the front side of the rotatable member permitting one person to tell ano-ther person the number of divisions the identical indicia were moved with respect to the apertured member without actually seeing the operation of the rotatable member by the first person and by simply pointing to one of the identical indicia, on the back of which the answer to the puzzle may be found.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures .i

in the specication and the accompanying draw ing.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawing and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the puzzle em-V ing 0f a front 'disk or card I, constructed of cardn board, nberboard, plywood, metal or other suitable material, and provided with a series of spaced openings or index stations 2, equidistantly spaced from one another and arranged in a circle, as clearly illustrated in Figure 1. Rotatably supported on the back of the card l, at the center of the ring of openings, by means of a rotatable eyelet 3, is the middle of a back disk 4, which may be constructed of any selected kind of material and which may be circular or of any other selected suitable shape permitting convenient operation of the puzzle.

Provided on the front face of the back disk 4 are a plurality of identical indicia, in the present showing comprising a plurality of equidistantly spaced spots 5, substantially the size of the openings 2, and each spot designed with an arrow B. As clearly illustrated in Figure 4, the arrows 6 are arranged to point in a clockwise direction.

For the purpose of permitting proper operation and solving of the puzzle, the back of the rotatable back disk 4 is provided with a plurality of different indicia, such for example, as the numbers 1 to '7, which are arranged in spaced relation in a circle and directly in back of the spots 5 on the front of the disk. The operation of the puzzle is performed as follows:

A person A, who is to solve the puzzle, first positions the disk 4 so that the spots 5 are in register with the openings 2, as illustrated in Figure 1, and at the same time observes the numeral which is at the top of the back side of the disk 4 nearest the upper edge of the card l. With the numbers 1 to 7 arranged as illustrated in Figure 2, the numeral 1 on the back of the disk 4 is at the top.

A second person B, who is to be mystified or surprised by the solution of the puzzle, is asked by the person A to rotate the disk 4 in a clockwise direction with respect to the card l, one or more divisions, and preferably not more than the number of divisions on the disk, without the person A seeing the operation. 'I'he person B then hands the puzzle back to the person A who is to solve the puzzle by telling the person B the number of divisions that the disk 4 has been rotated.

Without looking at the back of the puzzle, the person A simply points out the arrow which has the number on the back indicating the number of times the arrows were indexed in a clockwise direction by the person B. This is done by the person A first secretly noting the number on the back nearest the upper edge of the board l, and after the puzzle has been operated, merely pointing to the arrow corresponding to the number of spaces rotated, by starting with the first arrow to the right of the top arrow and counting in a clockwise direction a number of spaces equal to the number which was nearest the upper edge when first noted.

For example, if the disk is positioned as illustrated in Figure 2, with the numeral 1 on top, and the person B rotates the disk two divisions in a clockwise direction, the person A points to the first arrow to the right of the top opening or index station, and the person B will find the numeral 2 on the back. This will indicate that the disk 4 has been rotated two divisions. The numeral 3 is now positioned nearest the top edge of the board, which numeral is again secretly noted by the person A, so that if the person B again rotates the disk, say four divisions, the person A simply points to the third arrow to the Any one of the numbers on the back of the disk` 4 may be positioned at the top at the time the puzzle is operated. It is only necessary for the person who is to solve the puzzle to secretly note which number is positioned at the top and on the back of the disk when the puzzle is handed to another person for the purpose of having the other person rotate the disk with respect to the card a selected number of divisions. 'I'he person A, without turning the puzzle over, only has to point to the arrow corresponding to the top number by counting in a clockwise direction, starting at the first index station or opening to the right of the top, and the person B can read the answer, or, after pointing out the selected arrow, the person A can turn the puzzle over and give the answer, and at the same time notice the top number so as to be ready for the next operation of the puzzle.

It will, of course, be understood that the front card of the puzzle may be constructed with any desired number of openings and with a correspending number of indicia in the front and back sides of the back disk forming part of the puzzle. If desired, the relatively rotatable members may be of diiferent designs, as, for example, the front card may be a circular disk smaller than the back disk, and the openings may be omitted and replaced by radial peripheral teeth or spaced projections for cooperation with suitably spaced indicia representing index stations on the front of the back disk beyond the edge of the front disk, and opposite a series of spaced indicia, such as the number series illustrated in Figure 2.

It will also be understood that numerous other details of construction may be varied through a, wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and it is, therefore, not the purpose to limit the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the scope of the appended claim.

i I claim as my invention:

A puzzle comprising a rst member having a plurality of spaced and circularly arranged openings, a second member disposed immediately behind said first member and arranged relatively rotatable with respect to said rst member, said second member having a plurality of spaced and circularly arranged indicia on its face arranged about the same axis as said openings, said plurality of indicia comprising elements each identical in appearance and all normally registering with the openings at the same time, and a series of numerals arranged in numerical order on the back of said second member, spaced in the same manner as the said identical indicia, so that there is a numeral directly in the rear of each of said identical indicia.

NELS H. SWANSON. 

